Slim Thug

Pimp C Remembered By Bun B, Chamillionaire, More On First Anniversary Of His Death

4 Dec 2008 04:22:00 EST

Rapper's wife and friends note how his influence lives on in the Houston scene.
By Steven Roberts, with additional reporting by Shaheem Reid

Pimp C
Photo: Courtesy of the Butler Estate

Thursday (December 4) marks the first anniversary of the death of UGK rap legend Pimp C (real name: Chad Butler), who was found dead last year in his room at the Mondrian hotel in Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County coroner's office, he died of an accidental overdose of cough medication and a pre-existing sleeping condition.

Pimp C's contribution to Southern rap has not been forgotten, however. Along with UGK partner Bun B, he was influential in establishing Houston in the game and inspired the careers of many of the city's MCs. All day, thoughts have been pouring in to MTV News from his friends and colleagues about how the late rapper touched their lives. (Click here for photos of Pimp C and UGK.)

"I'm normally good with words, but it took me a while just to put a three-sentence quote together about him, because there are no words to describe how much he meant to me and so many others," fellow Houston MC Chamillionaire wrote in an e-mail. "It really seems like it was just yesterday that he was here, and I still can't believe he's not. He is deeply missed, and I know his legacy will live on forever."

Slim Thug said that Pimp C's voice still lives on in many artists' music. "I hear him sampled on hooks and hear all the good music he made while alive, and I know we will never forget what he did for Texas."

Pimp C is expected to make a posthumous appearance on Chamillionaire's third album, Venom, and is featured with Chamillionaire on "Underground Thang," a song off of Bun B's II Trill.

Bun B remembered his partner fondly when we spoke to him recently in Houston during the weekend of the "Best of Texas" concert. "It took us awhile to figure out that UGK was not just a group," Bun said. "UGK means so much to so many people."

Bun said he would never forget how they supported and encouraged each other to continue in the game. "There would be different times where his frustration would get overbearing, and he would want to just kind of stop doing it, and I would lift him," he recalled. "And then vice-versa. When I would start feeling indifferent about the game, he would be there to lift me up and keep me inspired."

Pimp C's wife, Chinara Butler, also shared her thoughts on what her husband meant to her family and music.

"To my husband and best friend, words can never express how much you are missed, and how much of a gap you left in the lives of family, friends, the industry and your fans!" she said in an e-mail. "I don't think I'm alone when I say I definitely miss you, speaking the real. You are loved and missed, but your spirit and music will live on forever!"

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Chamillionaire, Mike Jones, Bun B Help Unite Houston At 'Best Of Texas' Concert

24 Nov 2008 03:11:00 EST

Paul Wall, Slim Thug, Scarface, Lil' Flip also take the stage.
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway

Chamillionaire at the "Best of Texas" concert in Houston Sunday
Photo: MTV News

Houston hip-hop artists have a history of being very talented but, unfortunately, very divided at times. In the '90s, there were rivalries based on what part of the city you lived in. Several years ago, that philosophy was put aside, and the guys from H-Town started collaborating regardless of geography. When the city reemerged and exploded less than a handful of years ago, the scene caught fire with a bevy of pairings: Slim Thug and Chamillionaire. Lil' Flip and Chamillionaire. Slim Thug, Mike Jones and Paul Wall. Bun B and everybody.

Then everybody started doing their own thing again.

"In every argument, both sides are going to feel they are right," said Chamillionaire, who has had issues with Paul Wall and Mike Jones over the past few years. "In hip-hop, it's very competitive — the competitive nature of the music. ... Any little thing can make somebody mad."

At the recent Ozone Awards — supposedly a shining moment for the city — the division screamed when Trae tha Truth laid hands on Mike Jones, punching the MC. To make matters worse, the night ended early without a planned cipher of the city's MCs closing the show. Tsk-tsk.

On Sunday, Houston radio station the Box pulled off what some called the impossible, assembling just about every hip-hop artist in the city — old and new — for what they called the "Best of Texas" concert. It all took place during the Los Magnificos Car Show at the Reliant Center, and it lasted more than seven hours.

"This is home," Lil' Flip said after he got offstage early in the afternoon. "The biggest car show we ever had. Twenty-thousand [people]! Usually we have, like, 12,000."

Flip underestimated the turnout; by show's end, there was talk of the spectator tally being somewhere between 28,000 and 30,000.

"This is our biggest event of the year," Slim Thug explained. "Usually we have artists from all over the country come down and perform. This year, it's all Houston and a few Dallas artists, and it's sold out. This is the biggest turnout they ever had."

Houston legends the Botany Boys, Lil' Keke, Scarface and Bun B joined current hometown superstars Paul Wall, Chamillionaire, Slim Thug and Mike Jones. The night's most anticipated and loudly received sets, however, came from two guys who the mainstream don't really know, Trae tha Truth and Z-Ro, who closed the show.

"It's intoxicating, it's like one of them things rolled up burning," said Z-Ro, who was the undeniable crowd favorite of the night. "Z-Ro, Zeeee-rooooo," the crowd started chanting an hour before he came on.

"The kids and the older people, all walks of life — they out there screaming, word for word," the MC said. "I looked out and didn't see any wall, I didn't see any wall. All I saw was people. I felt I had to be all I can. It's like the army now."

It was very surreal hearing 20,000-plus sing Ro's song "I Hate You B----" like it was a Linda Perry power ballad.

Mike Jones got a very different reaction during his set. Maybe they didn't immediately recognize him because of his significant weight loss (he's been dieting and working out), but when he came out, the crowd was just cold. No booing, no cheering, no reaction. That indifference carried through his show for the most part. He did get them to sing along occasionally, though.

Bun B went over heavily with the crowd. They welcomed him like the legend he is. "Draped Up" and "Get Throwed" drove 'em crazy, while "Int'l Players Anthem" and "Big Pimpin' " kept hands in the air.

Paul Wall rolled out hits like "Sittin' Sidewayz" and "Grillz," but his big moment was bringing out Chamillionaire for 'N Luv Wit My Money.' The two buried the hatchet a while back, but they made it official Sunday night. Cham himself brought out Krayzie Bone on "Ridin' " and Lil' Flip for "Turn It Up."

Although songs such as "Mr. Scarface" and "Money and the Power" were probably older than some of the kids in the crowd, Scarface got them to chant his classics. "Smile" and "I Seen a Man Die" were also in his chamber, but the biggest record for him was "My Mind's Playing Tricks on Me." While it had been billed that the Geto Boys would take the stage together to receive a lifetime-achievement award, Bushwick Bill and Willie D were unexplained absentees.

Trae tha Truth clearly went over his allotted time: The house and stage lights were on during most of his performance. But who's gonna tell the imposing street don to stop rapping? Especially when Trae brought out his son and the kids of deceased Houston icons Fat Pat and Big Hawk.

But Slim Thug gets the show's MVP award. Besides his own set, he jumped onstage no less than five other times for various guest appearances. No "Still Tippin' " with Jones and Wall, though.

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The 'Travis Barker Remix' Of Lil Wayne's 'Got Money' -- Check Out A Clip Here!

25 Sep 2008 02:22:00 EDT

The Play N Skillz-helmed remix of the song, which features Barker on drums, was recorded day before plane crash.
By Shaheem Reid

Lil Wayne and Travis Barker
Photo: Jeffrey Mayer and Steve Granitz/WireImage

When production duo Play N Skillz started putting out feelers for people to appear on the remix of Lil Wayne's "Got Money" — a track they produced — Travis Barker was one of the first people to respond and record his part for it. One day before the recent plane crash that killed four people and seriously injured Barker and DJ AM, the drummer was in the studio, giving "Got Money" a beautiful beat-down with brand-new thunderous beats.

"We talked to Lil Chris [Baker], his assistant who died in the crash," Play told MTV News on Sunday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the brothers were performing as part of the third annual New Mexico Takeover. "[Chris] was lining up the remix thing with Travis. I'd never met Travis, but we spoke two days before this happened. He went in the studio, did the 'Got Money' remix. We were really excited about that. Then you wake up one morning, and it's like, 'F---!' "

"It shows how fast something can happen," Skillz added. "The day before his crash, he had just did the drums to the 'Got Money' remix."

Play N Skillz said they took it upon themselves to try to spearhead a remix to the smash single. On Sunday, they had not yet spoken to Wayne personally about the new song but had talked to members of his camp.

(Go to the Newsroom blog to watch Barker and DJ AM rehearse for the VMAs and check out their full VMA performances.)

The duo said Sunday that there could be multiple remixes for the song, suggesting that one remix could feature just Barker on the drums, another might have Travis and various other MCs (they mentioned Slim Thug, Bun B and Game), or Weezy might decide to lay down some new vocals. At press time the MC details had not been finalized, but Barker's contribution was complete.

"We took it upon ourselves," Play said of the remix. "So many people are doing remixes anyways. We spoke to [Wayne's artist] Mack Maine, who's on the record. We told him what was going on. This whole process with Wayne has never been a very personal relationship. It's been so third-party, but it works. He probably doesn't want to be bothered with that type of thing. I guess he's like, 'Let me get in my space and do what I do.' If Wayne gets involved, even better. I didn't think he's not gonna wanna be a part of it. We're just trying to be innovative, and if anything, it can go to the Internet and to the fans."

Besides the Wayne remix, Barker was also working on several songs for Paul Wall's upcoming LP, The Fast Life, before the crash.

Barker and DJ AM remain hospitalized in Georgia following Friday night's crash. They are in serious but stable condition. The two entertainers were the only two survivors of six passengers. In addition to Baker, Barker's bodyguard, Charles "Che" Still, and the plane's pilots died in the crash. Barker and AM suffered serious burns but are expected to make full recoveries.

If you'd like more information on the memorial funds set up to benefit Chris Baker's and Charles Still's families, visit the Famous Stars and Straps Web site.

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Slim Thug Is Ready To Be His Own Boss Again: MC Says He'll Be Free Of Record Deal Within The Week

15 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT

'I just can't sit on the sideline,' Slim says of his disappointing stint with Interscope.
By Shaheem Reid

Slim Thug
Photo: Paul Hawthorne/ Getty Images

Slim Thug didn't name his upcoming album Boss of All Bosses for nothing. The H-Town rapper with the booming baritone plans to release his next solo project independently. "If I'm supposed to be the mutha----ing boss, then I should be putting my [own] sh-- out," he explained.

So he met with Star Trak/ Geffen/ Interscope execs recently and, according to him, by later this week, he should officially be off the label and free to put out his next album on his own.

"I sat down with the general manager," he said. "Really, I just sat down and told them, 'Y'all over here don't understand the type of music I do, and y'all hold me back while y'all trying to get your situation together. I ain't really got that time to sit on the sideline while you do this. Let me pay y'all. Y'all gave me all this money. Listen, I'll give y'all some money off the new album.' I just can't sit on the sideline while they do their sh--. He sat down with [Interscope Chairman] Jimmy [Iovine], and we all came up with something we could all agree with. It ain't no hard feelings."

Slim said that since he signed on the dotted line at the 'Scope, there has been too much turnover at the company. Publicists, A&Rs and other employees have gotten pink slips, leaving him to figure out who is who among the new folks.

Now, with his newfound freedom, he said to expect his album to be out by late summer. But first up will be the boys in blue: Tha Boss Hogg Outlawz are set to release their second project through Koch Records. Then it will be the boss' turn.

"The album is done," he said. "The paperwork is done. Then singles should follow."

Slim first expressed his discontent about being on a major label to Mixtape Monday in late 2006. He definitely wasn't feeling that his debut, Already Platinum, was only certified gold — especially because he was consistently able to sell hundreds of thousands of records by himself throughout the South prior to signing with Star Trak/ Interscope in 2004.

"I thought it should have went way farther," he said then. "I was an independent artist that did all the work myself. Once I signed a major deal, I kind of felt like, 'I'm signed to a major label, oh, they gonna do all the work now.' "

Regarding his Boss of All Bosses, he said, "It's gonna be different. You gonna hear a lot more Houston records. The feedback I got from my fans [about the] last album was that they wanted to hear a lot more Houston records. So I worked with people out of Houston, a bunch of producers I came up with. I did, like, 30 songs with these cats, so I really got the album done. I'm gonna get, like, two from Pharrell [Williams] and maybe work with a few other big producers, but keep it Houston."

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Lupe Fiasco Wants To Quit Music Biz, But Promises More Collabos With Kanye, Pharrell; Fabolous Makes The Band: Mixtape Monday

14 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Killer Mike gets out from Outkast's shadow; Slim Thug splits from Interscope for solo album.
By Shaheem Reid with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes and Jasmine Dotiwala

Lupe Fiasco
Photo: Atlantic

Artist: Killer Mike

Representing: Atlanta

Mixtape: I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II

411: Ladies and ghetto-men, Killack Obama. "If you have a boss, and you don't like your boss," Killer Mike began, "fire your boss, and be a boss! If you don't have an idea, lay down, develop a dream, wake up, have a vision, get to the money. Feed your immediate family; provide jobs in your community. Do something instead of doing nothing. I do not pledge my allegiance to dope. I do not pledge my allegiance to some funky job. I do not pledge my allegiance to waiting on the government to feed me. I pledge my allegiance to getting rich independently.

"You have people out there who work all their life and people who hustle all their life," he continued. "If you take 50 percent of work and 50 percent of hustle and marry those things, you got something unstoppable. You got a hustler's spirit, but you have the skill and determination to work a 9-to-5 every day. Or if you treat your hustle like a 9-to-5, you will never fall. 'Grind' means to get rich independently."

Killer Mike is on his own now. Clearly, his days as Outkast's protégé are long gone. All it took was one shelved album (Ghetto Extraordinary) and a physical altercation (in 2006).

"I don't know why the album never came out," he said of his would-be sophomore LP for Big Boi's Purple Ribbon label. "I don't know what happened between Purple Ribbon and Sony. I just know around that time, I got tired of sitting on the shelf. I got up, dusted myself off and got right back in action. I think it's tough for a lot of artists not to be complacent. It's easy to be complacent when you're eating, but when you're starving, it's not hard to get motivated. I got to the point where nobody around there was eating. I had to go somewhere and eat."

Mike is not only cooking his own meals now, but he's taking the orders and serving up the plates with his Grind Time Official records, an independent label with distribution through SMC/Fontana.

"Doing this has made me a lot more sympathetic to what Big Boi was going through," he said of running the show as a CEO and artist. "It can be suffocating, overwhelming. You have to find a certain peace within yourself and dedicate a part of yourself to the music and the business. My goal is not to run my company. My goal is to be an artist that does great things [with] my company and set a certain vision for my company. But I want somebody that's qualified to run my company to run my company. That's just a wise move."

After this LP, Mike said to expect the third in his Pledge series soon, followed by an album he has been working on under the tutelage of No I.D., DJ Toomp, L-Rock and record executive Kyambo "Hip-Hop" Joshua.

Joints To Check For:

» "God in the Building." "I feel the people on the bottom are closer to God," Mike sermonizes. "When I say the people on the bottom, I mean the people who are working every day, standing on the corner, people who are grinding. It's a famous story in the Bible where priests send Jesus his disciples. In your case, it would be like the police sending your homeboys over to you, and they saying 'Why is he over there with the hustlers and thieves and lowlifes?' To me, rappers, athletes, D-Boys with some consciousness, we are Jesuses of our day. It's our job to bring some light in the midst of the dark. ... When I walk in the building, when I walk in the club, when I walk in my kids nursery, the doctors' office ... everybody better wake up like God is in the building."

» "Two Sides." "If you're watching Atlanta on TV, you might think it's all about swagger. I'm from that real Atlanta, fresh off MLK [Boulevard]. If you don't know what it is, after you listen to this, you will know what it is. One time for all the A-town cats putting it down for real. Everybody who's lying, I know you lying. They know you lying. One time for [Shawty Lo], one time for Tip, one time for Jeezy, one time for Luda and everybody who's been holding Atlanta down the right way. Lot of love for [Gorilla] Zo, Boyz in the Hood. Must be two sides, 'cause either you on the right side or the wrong side. Are you from Atlanta or black Hollywood? I'm from Atlanta."

» "Alphabet Boys." "A lot of times, when you hear records about 'I was hustling' or doing this and that, you hear exciting stories, but they really don't make sense after you finish listening to them. I tell you stories with a moral to them. In 'Alphabet Boys,' I tell you how not to go to jail. In the first verse, I'm talking about what to do when them old heads get out of jail, and they want to get up under you and talk about what the price is. In the third verse, I'm talking about them girls that's dancing and working for the feds. I'm just saying, when you listen to my music, please believe it's a real message in there. And the message, it might just keep your black ass out of jail."

Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week

» DJ L-Gee and Notorious B.I.G. - Americas Favorite Rapper (Dead or Alive)
» September 7th and Crooked I - Hip Hop Weekly Mixtape 3
» K.A.R. and Suge White (Hosted by Fat Joe) - Gay Unit
» DJ Warrior and DJ Envy - Cali Untouchable Radio 17 (Strong Arm Ready, Klak Klak Edition)
» DJ Dolla Sign - Terminator - The Curtis Jackson Chronicles

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

» The Game - "N---a With a Attitude"
» Jim Jones (featuring Juelz Santana) - "Splash"
» Keith Murray - "Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful"
» Young Buck - "It's Not OK"
» Usher (featuring T.I. and Young Jeezy) - "Love in This Club"

Fire Starter: Soul Diggaz

K-Mack, Bless and Corte Ellis of the Soul Diggaz have been around for a minute, earning their stripes under the wing of Missy Elliott while producing hits such as Keyshia Cole's "Let It Go" and the music for the Gap commercial with Ms. Misdemeanor and Madonna. Now, their name is in request mode across the industry, especially when it comes to the Atlantic Records roster — they're producing for Plies and worked with Donnie Klang and Diddy on "Take You There." They are in the midst of getting a deal to release their own album featuring artists under their umbrella. Also, the team has recently finalized a joint venture with Timbaland to put out newcomer Izza Kizza.

Celebrity Faves

Ashanti definitely has a hot joint — all the ladies are singing "The Way I Love You." And just like many others, the Long Island native loved "Yo! MTV Raps," even though she was just 7 years old when it debuted 20 years ago. (Go to Yo.MTV.com to check out highlights from the best episodes of the groundbreaking show.)

"Some of my favorite memories from 'Yo! MTV Raps' would have to be Fab 5 Freddy with his hat and his glasses," she recalled. "He always kept it very classy and sassy and 'hood, all at the same time. Some of my favorite female rappers from the 'Yo!' era ... YoYo, definitely. Salt-N-Pepa. I think Salt-N-Pepa, definitely are always gonna be relevant, 'cause they were the first ...They were sexy and still kinda approachable. Not raunchy, and they just kept it real from the early stages. Everyone had the Salt-N-Pepa haircut. I was too young for it, but a lot of my cousins were rockin' it. 'Push It' was phenomenal. Still is. Still rocks in the club!"

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

'Nuff respect to Lupe Fiasco. Usually, we take his word as bond, but when he starts talking about his next album being his career finale, that's something we refuse to believe. Maybe it's just denial that one of the most promising young superstars (pun intended) would retire before he even reached his prime. Recently he told MTV Base that he was 85 percent sure his next LP would be his last full-length solo set.

"I don't want to say I'm 100 percent sure, like, 'Yeah, this is it.' But 85 percent," he revealed. "That 15 percent is the X factor. That could be bills. Like, 'Lupe, you got to pay the bills.' 'Oh, man, I got to put out another album.' "

Fiasco says that the wear and tear of the music industry has taken its toll on him, physically and mentally. But he insists that he hasn't lost the passion for making music, just for the business of putting it out.

"There's all types and parts of the music business," he said. "There's the studio, record-store music business, and then there's the performing music business. I love the performing, I could perform forever. I'll be on stage until I'm 90 doing 'Kick, Push' and all that stuff if I can. But it's the whole process of it that wears you down. I actually got sick right before the Grammys. Never got a chance to go to the Grammys. I was running so hard doing music, and then when I got to the pivotal moment where you get the accolades for it, I found myself in the hospital and the doctor telling me I can't even go. I had a long conversation with the doctor, and he doesn't know me from Adam. He just came in and said, 'This is your life. This is how hard you're going. What happens when there's nothing there, and you drop down again?'

"When I came in, I was like, 'Yeah, I want to be a rapper, and I want to make three albums,' " he added. "But we'll see. It's amazing. I'm going to go away with a bang. Ahh, so good. I don't want to give too much away, because it's later. We're still just into The Cool project and still got more stuff to come out of this, but I am thinking on it. I'm already building it out, starting now, because it's massive. ... I'm treating it like I'm filming 'Lord of the Rings.' ... They had to film [that trilogy] over four to five years. It's going to take me about two years to put [my last album] together right. I'm 85 percent sure that my next album, LUPN, will be the end-all."

This is where we insert a big Flavor Flav "Wowwwwww!" Hopefully, he'll stick around a little longer. Besides, there's still the matter of the super group Child Rebel Soldiers, or CRS. It's comprised of Lupe, Pharrell Williams and Kanye West.

"Pharrell came up with the idea — 'Let's do a group, Child Rebel Soldiers,' " he recalled. "So, I did a song. Took Thom Yorke's 'Eraser,' cut it up, put 'Us Placers' on it, because I was going to do a mixtape called Us Placers and remake Thom Yorke's album [The Eraser] and Radiohead's stuff. I sent the record out, and it was initially supposed to have Kanye, and I wanted [U.K. artist] the Streets [on there]. The Streets, I got no response. He asked me to do the song for one of his artists. Then Kanye jumped on it and was like, 'I'm going to send it to P.' Then P sent it back, and it was like, 'This is the first song right here. Let's do it.' That was, like, a year and a half ago, and the whole time we've been figuring out what to do."

Since all three will be on 'Ye's Glow in the Dark tour, Lupe promised we could expect to see that performance soon.

"We don't know if there's going to be an album from CRS, what CRS are going to be," he said. "All we know is we're going to debut a piece of CRS on the Kanye tour. You have to come see it." ...

Hit me one time! Word to the JBs, Fabolous has a band. Before he left last week for a college tour with OneRepublic, Loso told us it was time for his stage performance to evolve.

"I thought it was something that needed to be done," he explained at SIR studios in Manhattan. (Coincidently, Missy Elliott was in the room across the hall, rehearsing for her upcoming tour with Busta Rhymes.) "I got a taste of [being backed by a band] when I did this [show] called 'Stripped.' I got a little bit of feel of it. I thought it was a dope thing to do. I even seen it previously on '[MTV's] Unplugged.' With certain artists coming up and doing their joints with a band behind them, I always wanted to do it, but I was waiting for the right experience. This tour came up. It's a college tour, and it's with another band, a pop act. They definitely will be using a band, so I thought it was a good time to bring it out."

F.A.B.O. joked that when choosing the members of his group, the Fab Five, he looked for more than just talent with instruments.

"I made them walk to Junior's for cheesecake," he smiled, referring to Diddy's notorious "Making the Band" mission. "They came back with cheesecake, and I said, 'OK, you can make the band.' "

When it comes to bands that he listens to just for enjoyment, the Brooklyn native's choices vary. You didn't think he just pumped Red Cafe and Joe Budden all day did you?

"The Rolling Stones, of course the Stones," he listed. "The Eagles, Maroon 5. I even like the one we going out with, OneRepublic. Although they're fairly new, I like the few joints I heard. I like Evanescence.

Fab's Five consist of Finesse on strings, Miles on keyboard, DJ 45, Rain Man on drums and T. Nasty on guitar. Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Diddy and whoever else has started doing shows with live instrumentation, watch your back. Fab wants to battle.

"Who want it?" he laughed. "Who want it with me?" ... For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines.

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Lupe Fiasco's Latest Single, 'Hip-Hop Saved My Life,' Honors Southern Rap Heroes Bun B, Slim Thug

11 Apr 2008 08:01:00 EDT

MC reveals that the Cool track, which is dedicated to Bun, was based on Slim Thug's career.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Jasmine Dotiwala

Lupe Fiasco
Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

He's a backpack rapper with a penchant for flashy items and a knack for forgetting A Tribe Called Quest lyrics at the wrong time.

But Lupe Fiasco's recent single, "Hip-Hop Saved My Life," is as endearing a record as any MC could put together. The song is from his sophomore set, The Cool.

And he's dedicated it not to one, but two of the game's finest: Bun B and Slim Thug.

"With 'Hip-Hop Saved My Life,' I attempted to make 'Kick, Push,' but for rappers," he explained to MTV Base. "To give a real basic play-by-play of the life of a rapper before he makes it — if he ever makes it, because you can get stuck in that and be trying to make it for the rest of your life."

The genesis of the track came when the Chicago lyricist went to Houston for a show. The rapper said the town was "spaced-out," in terms of the distance between things, and it gave the city a feel as if there wasn't much to do. So UGK legend Bun B picked up Lupe and led him on a tour of H-Town.

"He had his wife Queenie with him, and I was just sitting back, soaking it all in, and I was just thinking, 'How can I pay Bun B back?' " Lupe recalled.

The result was "Hip-Hop Saved My Life." The track is a three-part narrative following a rapper putting together a track from scratch, going through the struggles of performing at open-mic sessions, then hearing a freestyle of his make it on the radio.

When Lupe filmed the video in Houston, Slim Thug — who makes a cameo in the clip — approached the MC and asked if the song was about him.

"My DJ first heard the record when Lupe's album came out," Slim Thug told MTV News. "I went on iTunes and bought it and was surprised it had a lot to do about me. I don't think it's entirely about me, but he took pieces of my hustle and put it in the song. We might not have the same type of rap style, but I respect him. I knew a lot of people that liked him when he first came out and checked him out, and he was jammin'. And anyone that's jammin' is all right with me. When he came to shoot the video, I got the call from Dr. Teeth, who directed it, and I was down. I brought some of my cars, you know, with the candy paint, and we did it."

"It is based on Slim Thug," Lupe revealed. "I was with him when we shot the video, and he was like, 'Yo, is this song about me?' I didn't know at the time, but there was a situation in Houston where they were trying to figure out who the song was about. Was it about Slim Thug? Was it about Chamillionaire? And it was about Slim Thug, but [then] I dedicated the song to Bun. I called him up and said, 'Yo, Bun, I've got a song for you, check it out,' and he was the first person to hear it. I sent it to him and he was like, 'Yo, it's all good.' "

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Bun B, Outkast's Big Boi, Swizz Beatz Remember 'Real Honorable, Real Cool, Really Respected' Pimp C

5 Dec 2007 05:57:00 EST

'To say that I lost a friend or brother would never do justice to the relationship we shared,' Bun B says.
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Jayson Rodriguez

UGK's Pimp C
Photo: Bill Olive/Getty Images

When your first name is Pimp, obviously you are a bold, bold man. But aside from his endearingly brash appeal, Pimp C was somebody who his friends and industry counterparts describe as genuine, big-hearted and funny.

Pimp C (real name: Chad Butler) was found dead Tuesday in his Los Angeles hotel room. As half of UGK, named one of MTV News' Greatest Hip-Hop Groups of All Time, Pimp's influence was far-reaching, both personally and professionally.

In a statement released late Wednesday afternoon (December 5), Bun B, Pimp C's longtime friend and the other half of UGK, said, "His genius was unparalleled. His passion was undeniable and his love was unmatched. To say that I lost a friend or brother would never do justice to the relationship we shared. I will never be the same again. Bun B."

"He was one of the funniest guys I ever met," Swizz Beatz, who worked on UGK's most-recent LP, Underground Kingz, said Tuesday night. "His character had me on the floor the whole time. I thought I was the only person in this industry who had some humor, not trying to act like a killer all the time. ... It's sad he went out. It's sad for hip-hop."

"You kept it trill way before I had a deal," Lil' Flip raps in a Pimp C tribute song, "RIP Pimp C," released Wednesday morning. "I can't believe we lost you and [Big] Moe the same year/ We miss you, homie/ We got your back though."

Pimp wasn't just a person his peers looked up to professionally; many also considered themselves fortunate to become friends with him.

"My initial reaction was disbelief," Slim Thug said Wednesday. "I just talked to him the other day. Me and Pimp were cool, for real. I always talk to him and Bun B on the regular. He always reached out to me and made it be known, 'I got love for Slim Thug,' in interviews he did and everything. He always showed me a whole lot of love. So that's why it hurt to see a good dude like that go.

"I remember soon as he got out of jail, I went to his video shoot," Slim added. "And just approaching him like, 'What's up? I'm Slim Thug.' And he was like, 'Man, I already know about you. I got love for you, and I respect what you doing. Here goes my number. Call me if you need anything.' I still got his card. Man ... I just want to send my condolences out. I'm just sitting here seeing this happen and wishing Pimp would just wake up."

"He was cool as hell," said Outkast's Big Boi, who was noticeably distraught when he spoke of his friend and "Int'l Players Anthem" co-star during a Tuesday phone call. "He was real laid-back, down-to-earth. We would talk from time to time. We hung out at a couple of clubs a couple of times. He was the real thing. He wasn't putting on a front or acting out a character: That was really him. Real good dude. So much fun and charisma.

"Once [Outkast] got in the game, we recorded a couple of tracks with each other," Big added. "We kicked it. Pimp C was living in Atlanta. ... He came to the house when we had our little parties. He's just my dog. Real honorable, real cool, really respected."

Big said being around Pimp and Bun B was definitely like being around family — his longtime musical clique, the Dungeon Family. "It's like having a crew," Big said of working with UGK. "They're like an extended part of our Dungeon Family. They were real close with [Big] Gipp and Rico [Wade] and pretty much everybody down with us all the way down. When the studio came, it was time to bomb on the tracks and make hits. It was like having Goodie Mob in the room, you know?"

Like many hip-hop fans, especially in the South, Big and Andre 3000 were influenced by the Underground Kingz at a very early age. "We had UGK tapes; we would listen to them on the way to high school," Big Boi said. "[We listened to] them and 8Ball and MJG. They were two of the groups we looked up to when we was coming up.

"It was the lyricism, man," Big added about what attracted him to UGK. "They were so real and blunt and honest with it. They said what they wanted to say. They were from Port Arthur, Texas, and represented that and told you what they went through. People have to realize the legacy of Pimp C is gonna live through the music. The boy got a hellafied catalog."

A lot of the classic songs in that catalog were produced by Pimp. "Dope," Big said of Pimp's beats. "Some of the most funkiest, vintage, country rap tunes you ever heard. If you go back and get the CDs and read the credits, you'll see some of your favorites were produced by Pimp C, as well as him and Bun B together. His talent went a long way as an MC and as a producer.

"A lot of people don't know that he made damn near all the beats on the old UGK albums," Big Boi continued. "He had a whole other sound. He gave Texas its sound. He was our Lil Jon, when it comes to a sound. You hear Jon and you know ATL, crunk music. Well, Pimp gave us our own sound out here, with what him and Bun were doing with UGK. He was cold with it. He was a genius at what he did with that."

The UGK legacy grew by leaps and bounds in 2007. The legends were finally able to capitalize on years of adulation with their first #1 album, Underground Kingz, and their biggest single, "Int'l Players Anthem."

"I think that [2007] was the rebirth of UGK," Swizz Beatz said. "They came with a fresh sound, got a new audience, stepped up their lyrical, reached out to a lot of people like myself and Outkast, brought in another side of UGK that was embracing the industry and showed everybody was rocking with them. It was amazing. And the album was good music."

"Bun B stayed down with him 300 percent [while Pimp was in jail]," Big Boi said. "He kept the UGK name and the Pimp C name alive. When Pimp got out, them boys reconvened and put the album together like [Pimp] ain't miss a day. It's a shame to see it go down how it went, now especially with them doing what they doing. It's a sad situation."

Pimp's mother, Weslyn "Wes" Monroe, told Port Arthur's KFDM News, "It's a terrible loss to the industry."

"What a nut he was," she added with a light smile. "C loved this community. He didn't leave, even when he came home [from jail], he chose to live here. ... So we need a tremendous support from the community."

[This story was originally published on 12.5.07 at 4:51 p.m. ET]

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'Harry Potter' Encyclopedia, Plus Anna Nicole Smith, Bobby Brown, T-Pain, Bun B, Slim Thug, NIN & More In For The Record

14 May 2007 09:02:00 EDT

Smith's will revealed; Brown pleads poverty; T-Pain LP date moved up.
By MTV News Staff

Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"
Photo: Warner Bros.

Don't get too excited, Harry Potter fans — despite rumors that J.K. Rowling is considering writing another book in the Potter-verse, that doesn't mean there will be an actual book eight. In fact, as she clarified on her Web site, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" remains the end of the series and another novel is "highly unlikely." "I've got enough story for seven books and I never planned to carry the story beyond the end of book seven," she wrote. "I might do an eighth book for charity, a kind of encyclopedia of the world so that I could use all the extra material that's not in the books ... we'll see!" Rowling previously wrote the Potter reference books "Quidditch Through the Ages" and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" under the aliases Kennilworthy Whisp and Newt Scamander, respectively, and proceeds for both went to Comic Relief. Meanwhile, Rowling is requesting that fans go easy on the spoilers for "Deathly Hallows." Spoilers won't stop people from buying the book, they never have — all it will do is diminish their pleasure. ... Even if the biggest secret gets out — even if somebody discovers the Giant Squid is actually the world's largest Animagus, which rises from the lake at the eleventh hour, transforms into Godric Gryffindor and ... well, I wouldn't like to spoil it." ...

A will and probate petition were filed on behalf of Howard K. Stern on Monday (May 14), according to E! Online, and in the documents, he requests to be the special administrator of Anna Nicole Smith's estate. In the filing, Smith's home in Studio City, California, is valued at $1.8 million and her personal property at $10,000 — but her outstanding mortgage reduces the sum to $710,000, according to Stern's petition. Larry Birkhead, father of Smith's daughter Danielynn, is not named as a beneficiary in the will, according to TMZ.com, but the petition to probate lists him as a part with an interest in Smith's estate. Danielynn, Stern and two attorneys Ron Rale and Eric Lund are also listed as having an interest in the estate — although Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, is not named. A probate hearing is slated for June 19, while a custody hearing involving Birkhead and Arthur is set for June 8. ...

Claiming he was distraught, depressed and so strapped for cash at the time that he couldn't afford a lawyer, Bobby Brown filed papers in California's Orange County Superior Court last week challenging the terms of his April 24 divorce from Whitney Houston. Specifically, Brown is trying to fight a judge's decision to grant physical and legal custody of the pair's 14-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina, to Houston. According to MSNBC (citing papers obtained by "Access Hollywood"), Brown claims that after he split from Houston last year, he was so emotionally and financially distressed that he was essentially homeless and couldn't get it together to respond to Houston's petition for divorce. The papers reportedly claim that, "Whitney repeatedly assured Bobby that he need not file a response and that reconciliation was possible," and that, "Whitney did so at a time when she knew that Bobby was particularly vulnerable." A June 15 court date has been set for Brown's new case. ...

Jive wants to bring the Pain a little earlier. T-Pain's new LP, Epiphany, has been brought up to a June 5 release date, a week earlier than its original June 12 date. The set includes the hit record "Buy U a Drank." ... Rapper Bun B, one-half of the group UGK, was in New York over the weekend performing for about 100 people at Lower East Side hipster sneaker store Alife Rivington Club. Hosted by Fab 5 Freddy, the show was billed as "Bun B and Friends," and Papoose, Graph and Talib Kweli all joined Bun during his set. This week in Los Angeles, Bun and UGK mate Pimp C shoot the video for "Int'l Players Anthem" with Outkast and longtime 'Kast director Bryan Barber. ... Legendary Houston DJ OG Ron C celebrated two decades of making music with a four-day-long celebration in his hometown from Thursday through Sunday. Slim Thug, Killer Mike and Dead Prez's Stic.man were among the celebs who attended the various parties and music-conference panels Ron C — known for his mixtape and chopping and screwing skills — staged over the weekend. On Saturday, the DJ was presented with a certificate from the city in honor of his 20 years in the business. ...

Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor has lashed out at his record company in blog posts on the band's Web site. "As the climate grows more and more desperate for record labels, their answer to their mostly self-inflicted wounds seems to be to screw the consumer over even more," he wrote. "A couple of examples that quickly come to mind: The absurd retail pricing of Year Zero in Australia. Shame on you, [Universal Music Group]. Year Zero is selling for $34.99 Australian dollars (or $29.10 in the States). No wonder people steal music. Avril Lavigne's record in the same store was $21.99 ($18.21 U.S.)." When Reznor asked his label about the pricing of the LP, he said he was told "it's because we know you have a real core audience that will pay whatever it costs when you put something out." So, Reznor surmised, "I guess as a reward for being a 'true fan,' you get ripped off." ...

No, Ozzy Osbourne isn't pulling a K-Fed — but he will appear on this week's WWE "Friday Night SmackDown" to perform two songs, including his new single, "I Don't Wanna Stop." The track will also serve as the theme song to WWE's "Judgment Day" special, to air on pay-per-view Sunday. ... Rick Rubin's rumored move to Columbia is official, Billboard reports, although details are scarce. The label released a statement Monday stating that the Grammy-winning producer and head of American Recordings will "form a dynamic and creative executive partnership" with Columbia Chairman Steve Bartnett. Rubin will continue producing for artists at different labels but will bring American to Sony, which distributed the imprint less than a decade ago. ...

Lindsay Lohan and her mother Dina are being sued by a photographer who alleges that Lindsay hit him with a car in New York on March 13, according to court documents obtained by "Access Hollywood." The suit, filed in New York by Giovanni Arnold on Thursday, seeks unspecified damages from the Lohans for "sustained severe and permanent personal injuries." Dina Lohan is named in the suit as the owner of the car Lindsay was driving. ... John Edwards has a new political adviser: John Mayer. New York magazine reports that the two Johns met up at Time magazine's Time 100 event last week, where Mayer, 29, gave Edwards advice on connecting with young people. "He basically said, 'You've got to get me in the first 20 seconds,' " Edwards explained. He said he's set up a meeting with the singer for more insight. ... Neighbors are calling foul over Leonardo DiCaprio's basketball court. Ronald and Joan Linclau claim the actor excavated their property without permission and damaged plants in order to build the court at his home in Los Angeles, according to The Associated Press. They are seeking $250,000 in damages. Ken Sunshine, a DiCaprio spokesman, told AP the lawsuit "is totally without merit." ...

The Smashing Pumpkins, who will release Zeitgeist, their first album of new material since 2000, have announced two sets of all-ages residency gigs: nine shows at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina, between June 23 and July 5, and eight shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco between July 22 and August 1. The band will be performing songs from its upcoming disc, as well as old material. Fans are "invited to capture the concerts with audio and video recorders," according to SmashingPumpkins.com. ... Bob Geldof, who organized the Live Aid and Live 8 benefit concerts, has criticized Al Gore's Live Earth music events, saying they lack a specific goal, according to AP. "I hope they're a success," Geldof told Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant. "But why is [Gore] actually organizing them? To make us aware of the greenhouse effect? Everybody's known about that problem for years. We are all [expletive] conscious of global warming." ...

System of a Down's Shavo Odadjian will direct the video for "Give Thanks and Praises," the first clip from the forthcoming Bad Brains album Build a Nation. The video will begin production this month and will include footage captured at the Sasquatch! Music Festival in George, Washington. "I've been a fan of the Brains ever since I can remember," Odadjian said in a statement. "I am going to rock this video for the Brains and try to capture their intense energy. It's a big responsibility. ... I'm honored." ... U.S. immigration officials have turned to Mickey Mouse for help in managing airport crowds, Britain's Daily Mail reports. Disney will teach officials trade secrets from over 50 years of running the most popular tourist destination on the planet, the so-called "Happiest Place on Earth." The move is aimed at luring visitors back to America, many of whom have stayed away due to complaints of long lines, intense interrogation and gruff, surly demeanors. No word on whether that means the ubiquitous rubber gloves will now have four fingers.

05.11.2007

Eminem made an undisclosed donation to Hip Hop 4 Habitat on Thursday to help launch the project through his Marshall Mathers Foundation, The Detroit News reports. The program, which helps families in need of homes, is seeking to raise $75,000 to build a house in the city's East Side in October. Local rapper Trick Trick is also involved — he'll play a concert for volunteers once the home is constructed. ...

In case her recent surprise concert wasn't enough indication, Britney Spears isn't in hiding anymore. The singer showed up with her cousin Alli at the Equinox gym on West Hollywood, California's Sunset Strip on Thursday evening for a quick workout and to check out a spin class, according to "Access Hollywood." She reportedly wore a wig with a trucker hat and a tank top that read "Malibu." ...

Mary J. Blige recently filmed a guest spot for "Entourage," and she told us that she got to know her character intimately. "I play Mary J. Blige!" she laughed, discussing the cameo as she accompanied her children to the "Shrek the Third" premiere in Los Angeles. "It was fun working with Jeremy [Piven]. ... Other than that, I'm back in the studio, which is also fun." The R&B icon is a longtime admirer of the Adrian Grenier-starring program and has joked that she knows a thing or two about keeping an entourage herself. An HBO rep said Mary J.'s episode will air next year during the show's fourth season. ...

Gwen Stefani, Yung Joc, Jagged Edge and Big Boi came out Thursday night in Atlanta for two shindigs christening Cee-Lo's new record label, Radiculture Records. At the first event, held at the Lambert Place reception hall, video screens showed different excerpts of Cee-Lo's career, from the Goodie Mob to Gnarls Barkley. Partygoers walked down a yellow brick road and were greeted by actors dressed as Beetlejuice and Lurch from "The Addams Family." An afterparty was held at the Lotus Lounge and had a Cirque de Soleil motif. Dancing went on there until 3 a.m. ...

Panic at the Disco are hard at work on the follow-up to their smash 2005 debut, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, according to their manager. The Vegas dandies have written eight songs so far for the yet-untitled album and are slated to start tracking the new tunes June 1. No release date has been set yet for the LP. ...

What on earth does Snoop Dogg have in common with Holocaust denier and widely discredited historian David Irving? Australian Prime Minister John Howard made the bizarre comparison once again on Thursday, saying the federal government's blocking of Snoop from entering the country last month due to recent convictions on gun and drugs charges is similar to Australia's refusal to allow Irving into Australia in 1994, according to The Daily Telegraph. The prime minister told a student at a school in Canberra that Snoop is a man of poor character and that "we have to take a stand on those issues." Howard previously made the comparison when the rapper was denied a visa to visit the country for the MTV Australia Music Video Awards. ...

Sheryl Crow has adopted a boy and named him Wyatt Steven, the singer/songwriter announced on her Web site Friday (May 11). "We are enjoying some very private family time. Just wanted to let you know," read the post. The boy, who Crow said was born two weeks ago, is her first. ...On Friday, Boston prosecutors dropped criminal charges against the two men behind the infamous "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" guerrilla-marketing campaign that led to a series of bomb scares in January, The Boston Globe reports. Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens completed their community service, creating a mural for the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and helping maintain its sailing docks on the Charles River. The men apologized for the incident in court. ...

Mel Gibson won praise from a judge in Malibu, California, on Friday for adhering to his court-mandated alcoholism treatment after being arrested for drunk driving in July, according to The Associated Press. The director/actor did not attend the hearing, but Superior Court Judge Lawrence Mira said he wanted to see him in court at some point "to ensure we are all on the same page." Gibson's lawyer Blair Berk said she filed a report with the court claiming he was complying with his rehab program. ... Jason Wahler has been charged with misdemeanor counts of assault, criminal trespass and a minor exhibiting the effects of alcohol stemming from an incident last month in Seattle, TMZ.com reports. The Seattle city attorney wants the "Laguna Beach" star to serve 10 days in jail, pay a $4,500 fine and enter a rehab program. Wahler, who has been arrested three times since September, had been caught passed out drunk in a hallway after punching a hotel security guard. He was 20 when he was arrested in April. ...

Linkin Park and Maroon 5 are getting the last laughs. The hard-rockers will perform on this weekend's "Saturday Night Live" episode, which is being hosted by alumna Molly Shannon, while Adam Levine's crew will sidle up to Zach Braff for the season's final program on May 19. ... PBS' "Soundstage" series has lined up performers for its fifth season. Expect to see Macy Gray (July 5), Dashboard Confessional (July 12) and Jewel (July 19 and 26). ...

Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard has a new "Office" mate, apparently. John Krasinski — who stars as Jim Halpert on the TV show — made a brief onstage appearance with Gibbard Thursday night at Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 club, USA Today's "Pop Candy" blog reports. The two briefly dabbled with a Wilco song, according to fan accounts — Gibbard has a role in Krasinski's upcoming film "Brief Interviews With Hideous Men." ... The Decemberists have made a name for themselves by delving into everything from prog-folk to klezmer sounds and beyond. But how about classical music? The group will appear with an orchestral accompaniment at five shows this summer, which will feature the band's songs with new arrangements. The dates begin July 7 at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, then proceed to Atlanta's Chastain Park Amphitheater (July 13); Baltimore's Merriweather Post Pavilion (July 14); Philadelphia's Mann Center (July 15); and Chicago's Millennium Park (July 18). ...

What do Mariah Carey, Destiny's Child and the Spice Girls have in common with underground artists like Will Oldham, Superchunk and Jim O'Rourke? Something, finally: The latter artists cover the former ones on the unusual compilation Guilt by Association, due August 28. Also featured on the set is Devendra Banhart covering Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger," Mooney Suzuki's version of the Cher song "Just Like Jesse James," Mike Watt tackling Blue Öyster Cult's "Burning for You," as well as renditions of Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Goin Down," System of a Down's "Chop Suey" and "Breaking Free" from "High School Musical." ... An expanded deluxe edition of Sonic Youth's 1988 masterpiece, Daydream Nation, will be reissued June 12 as a two-CD set. The revamped set packs the original album onto one CD and adds a "Live Daydream" disc — with concert cuts of each album track, plus covers of Beatles, Mudhoney, Neil Young and Captain Beefheart tunes — as a bonus. ...

Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello and Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid are featured on Queen V's Death or Glory, due June 19. Morello, who invited Queen V to perform on his Axis of Justice Tour after seeing her play in Los Angeles, handles guitar on the track "My Machine," while Reid contributes a solo to "One and Only." ... Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello and Billy Bob Thornton are among the artists featured on Anchored In Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash, due June 19. A biography written by her only son with Johnny Cash, John Carter Cash, hits shelves the same day. ... Pearl Jam will issue a box set of the band's performances at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington. Titled Live at the Gorge, the set is a compilation of three different concerts, spread across seven CDs, and will hit stores June 26. ... The reunited Luscious Jackson are busy working on a new LP — a children's album, no less — but co-founder Gabby Glaser is still finding time to step out with her own solo debut. Her fuzzy garage-rock effort Gimme Splash is due June 26 on Latchkey. ...

Michael Moore is lashing out at the Bush administration over a U.S. Treasury Department investigation that is scrutinizing a trip he took to Cuba earlier this year. The controversial Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker took ailing 9/11 rescue workers to the country for treatment and plans to include a segment on the trip in his upcoming health-care exposé, "Sicko." "I understand why the Bush administration is coming after me — I have tried to help the very people they refuse to help, but until George W. Bush outlaws helping your fellow man, I have broken no laws and I have nothing to hide," Moore said in a post on liberal Web site DailyKos.com. "For five and a half years, the Bush administration has ignored and neglected the heroes of the 9/11 community. These heroic first responders have been left to fend for themselves, without coverage and without care." According to AP, Treasury officials would not comment on the letter.

05.11.2007

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Mixtape Monday: DJ Drama Bouncing Back With Comeback Tape; Pharrell May Lose Slim Thug

2 Apr 2007 06:01:00 EDT

DJ Drama
Photo: MTV News

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New Releases: Beck, Nine Inch Nails, Slim Thug, Money Mark & More

27 Feb 2007 06:00:00 EST

Also due Tuesday: B.G. and the Chopper City Boyz, Daath, Dälek, Dean & Britta, Do Make Say Think, Pagoda, Goo Goo Dolls.
By Kurt Orzeck

Beck's The Information
Photo: Interscope Records

Too Much Information?: Beck concocted a video for each song on last year's The Information — an album that contained 15 songs, the most the singer/songwriter had put on one album since 1994. He presented those clips in the form of a bonus DVD that came with the original CD release, but just in case that's not enough Information for you, he's now teeing up a brand-new, three-disc version. The hefty — and definitive, we hope — deluxe-slipcase edition features a trio of bonus tracks on disc one; a second CD boasting six remixes; and a DVD with a grand total of 17 videos. Hopefully that's not nausea you're feeling.

Nine Live: Nine Inch Nails are also feeling generous these days, lumping together 24 live performances — as well as alternate angles, two music videos, three rehearsal clips, an image gallery and discography — for "Nine Inch Nails Live: Beside You in Time." The band's North American winter tour gets the most lovin', with 19 selections — including "Love Is Not Enough," "March of the Pigs" and "The Hand That Feeds" — while the summer tour is immortalized with five clips, including "Somewhat Damaged," "Closer" and "Only."

On the Money: Money Mark must be pretty hot on Jack Johnson's MySpace friends list these days, having lent the singer/songwriter some piano support on a tour of Japan. Now Johnson is returning the favor by putting out Brand New by Tomorrow, the fourth effort by the "fourth Beastie Boy," on his Brushfire Recordings. Mark Ramos-Nishita gets an extra hand from Beach Boys bassist Carol Kaye on "Pick Up the Pieces," the first single, and sings mostly about heartbreak over the course of songs like "Color of Your Blue," "Eyes That Ring" and elsewhere.

Hip-Hop From Down Below: Slim Thug has a new tribe he's propping up from his native Houston: the Boss Hogg Outlawz, who Serve & Collect this week. Slim slaps vocals on just about every track on the group's effort, with newcomers like J-Dawg and Young Black also providing support.

About 350 miles to the east, in New Orleans, another established rapper is helping promote his hometown homies. The Chopper City Boyz, who have been all over B.G.'s albums in the past, are getting another boost from the big guy on their 19-track platter. On five slices, B.G. shows the group some brotherly love — seriously; one of the Chopper City Boyz is Hakim, B.G.'s younger sibling.

In yet another assist, Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Bronze Nazareth presents the Wisemen in the form of Wisemen Approaching, a guest-heavy effort that also features GZA, Killah Priest and Vast Aire.

Kicking it even deeper in the underground are Snowgoons, the German mixtape production team that counts DJ Illegal among its friends. They unload collabos with Sean Price, Pumpkinhead and others on their latest, German Lugers.

And ringing the darkest hip-hop note of all are Dälek, the bleak Mike Patton pals who usher in their fourth studio album, Abandoned Language. While as dense as their previous efforts, Dälek's latest is decidedly less noisy and even edges toward mainstream accessibility on the throwback track "Isolated Stare." But it's also equally macabre, as evidenced on the David Lynch homage "Lynch."

Hey Wait, I Know You ...: Think Michael Pitt didn't pull off a convincing Kurt Cobain in Gus Van Sant's pseudo-biopic "Last Days"? Give the actor another shot with Pagoda, the new full-length from his real-life band of the same name.

Do Dean & Britta look familiar too? That's because Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips also partnered up — in the true sense of the term; they have been romantically involved — for Luna, the indie-rock titans who disbanded two years ago. Their new one was produced by David Bowie agent Tony Visconti, features help from Sonic Boom, and contains covers of Donovan and Lee Hazlewood tunes — not to mention an ode to a dead bunny ("Crystal Blue R.I.P.").

This week you might also recognize Bob Dylan bandmember Elana James, who steps up with a self-titled effort. And John Bigham, a guitarist who has cropped up on Eminem and Fishbone albums, chalks up The Good Girl Blues, the second effort by his Soul of John Black project.

Dig Pack: Patrick Park got his foot in the door before it closed: The singer/songwriter landed a spot on the final episode of "The O.C." Now he's trying to milk the limelight for what it's worth with a just-released exclusive iTunes EP, Stickbirdsongs, which features the track he performed on the show: "Life's a Song." Post-punks the Draft also have an exclusive iTunes EP: a self-titled effort that features "Stop Wastin' My Time," "Up All Night," "The Devil in the Shade" and "Na Na Na."

Junkie XL is trotting out his digital-only soundtrack to the new Electronic Arts game "SSX Blur," an electronic-music effort that contains 15 songs, the titles to which reference various snow parks and hills across the world.

Chicago indie label File Thirteen continues its Digital Demand Series with two new entries this week: A Careless Act of Faith (Singles + Rarities) by arty noise-punks Thumbnail; and New Action Four EP, a rarities comp by the Thumbnail/Atombombpocketknife affiliates.

Other indie-rockers doing the digital-only thing this week: Ferraby Lionheart is reissuing his self-titled EP; Brooklyn, New York's Takka Takka have an eponymous effort of their own, albeit a full-length one; and Chicago's Baby Teeth run through songs by Windy City artists Liz Phair, Joanna Newsom and Curtis Mayfield on their We Live Here EP.

Song Title of the Week:

"Death to Birth" from Pagoda's Pagoda

Other Notables:

Various artists' A Touch of Class Still Sucks!: New York production duo A Touch of Class are often credited with "discovering" the Scissor Sisters, but whether you agree with that notion or not, the two parties did work together on the Sisters' early efforts. This week, A Touch of Class follow up their A Touch of Class Sucks! compilation from four years ago with a new set brandishing their tweaked versions of songs by the Sisters, Le Tigre, the Gossip, Erasure and more.

Radio Moscow's Radio Moscow: The Black Keys love their '70s classic rock, and they know what it smells like. Member Dan Auerbach helps Ames, Iowa, psychedelic blues-rockers Radio Moscow tap into their love of Jimi Hendrix and the Allman Brothers on this debut effort, which also delves into country and East Indian sounds. Songs include: "Lickskillet," "Ordovician Fauna" and "Luckydutch."

The National Lights' The Dead Will Walk, Dear: Where are the drums? Not to be found here, on this traditional-folk release that's hoping to cozy up alongside the Sufjan Stevens and Iron & Wine discs in your collection. The conceptual Americana release is the first by the trio and was recorded in a pair of houses in New York and Pennsylvania, as well as a church in Maryland.

New Releases:

· 4hero - Play With the Changes (digipak; Milan)
· Barn Burning - Werner Ghost Truck (Tarnished)
· Chris Berardo & the DesBerardos - Ignoring All the Warning Signs ... (Lamon)
· B.G. and the Chopper City Boyz - We Got This (Koch) [Buy Now]
· David Bromberg - Try Me One More Time (Appleseed)
· Paul Brown & Friends - White Sand (Peak)
· Johnny Bush - Kashmere Gardens Mud: A Tribute to Houston's Country Soul (Icehouse)
· Canon - Wide Awake (Mercy)
· Daath - The Hinderers (Roadrunner)
· Dälek - Abandoned Language (Ipecac)
· Dash Rip Rock - Hee Haw Hell (Alternative Tentacles)
· Dean & Britta - Back Numbers (Rounder)
· Do Make Say Think - You, You're a History in Rust (digipak; Constellation)
· Dr. Dog - We All Belong (Park the Van)
· Kelly Flint - Drive All Night (BePop)
· Donna Hughes - Gaining Wisdom (Rounder)
· Elana James - Elana James (Snarf)
· Thomas Lunch - Diagrams Without Instructions (digipak; Ingrooves)
· Money Mark - Brand New by Tomorrow (Brushfire) [Buy Now]
· My Teenage Stride - Ears Like Golden Bats (Becalmed)
· Andy Narell - Tatoom: Music for Steel Orchestra (Heads Up)
· National Lights - The Dead Will Walk, Dear (Bloodshake)
· Pagoda - Pagoda (Ecstatic Peace)
· Radio Moscow - Radio Moscow (Alive)
· Daryle Singletary - Straight From the Heart (Shanachie)
· Slim Thug and the Boss Hogg Outlawz - Slim Thug Presents: Boss Hogg Outlawz - Serve & Collect (Koch) [Buy Now]
· Snowgoons - German Lugers (Babygrande)
· SoSoHuman - Twenty-Six (Undeniable)
· The Soul of John Black - The Good Girl Blues (Cadabra)
· Otis Taylor - Definition of a Circle (Telarc)
· Temple of Brutality - Lethal Agenda (enhanced; Warcon)
· Nick Warren - Paris GU30 (two CDs; Global Underground)
· Matt Wertz - Everything in Between (Nettwerk)
· Willard Grant Conspiracy - Let It Roll (Reincarnate)
· Winterpills - The Light Divides (Signature)
· Wisemen - Wisemen Approaching (Babygrande)
· Joe Zawinul - Brown Street (two CDs; Heads Up)
· Various artists - A Touch of Class Still Sucks! (HBD)
· Various artists - Fabric 32: Luke Slater (FabricLive)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· Akimbo - Harshing Your Mellow (Alternative Tentacles)
· Beck - The Information (deluxe-slipcase reissue with bonus CD and DVD; Geffen) [Buy Now]
· Bobby Blue Bland - The Definitive Collection (Geffen)
· Buckaroos - The Best of the Buckaroos (Sundazed)
· Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers - Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers (Sundazed)
· Guy Clark - Better Days (DBK Works)
· Robert Cray - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O)
· John Denver - The Essential John Denver (two CDs; RCA/Legacy)
· Goo Goo Dolls - Let Love In (with DVD; Warner Bros.)
· Sneaky Pete Kleinow - The Sneaky Pete Anthology (Sundazed)
· Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Instru-Mental (Spitfire)
· Johnny Mathis - Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (Columbia/Legacy)
· Buddy Alan Owens - The Best of Buddy Alan Owens (Sundazed)
· Boz Scaggs - Silk Degrees (Columbia/Legacy)

Music DVDs:

· Chet Atkins - "A Life in Music" (MPI)
· Sidney Bechet - "Treat It Gentle: The Life and Times of a Jazz Master" (Kultur)
· Bratz - "Fashion Pixiez" (Lionsgate)
· Bob Dylan - "Don't Look Back - 65 Tour Deluxe Edition" (two DVDs; New Video Group)
· Charlie Gracie - "Fabolous!" (Alpha Video)
· Johnny Mathis - "Gold: 50th Anniversary Celebration" (Columbia/Legacy)
· Nine Inch Nails - "Nine Inch Nails Live: Beside You in Time" (Nothing)
· Dolly Parton & Friends - "Dolly Parton & Friends" (two DVDs; MPI)
· Pink Floyd - "The Roger Waters Years: Up Close and Personal" (with book; Hurricane)
· Carlos Santana and Wayne Shorter - "Live at the 1988 Montreux Jazz Festival" (Image)
· Flip Wilson - "The Best of the Flip Wilson Show" (three DVDs; Rhino)

Coming Attractions:

March 6:
· Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (deluxe edition with book also available; Merge) [Preorder]
· Jonny Greenwood - Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller (Trojan)
· Albert Hammond Jr. - Yours to Keep (enhanced; New Line)
· Korn - MTV Unplugged (Virgin) [Preorder]
Read: "Korn Quiet Down With The Cure, Amy Lee For 'MTV Unplugged' "
· Relient K - Five Score and Seven Years Ago (Capitol) [Preorder]
Read: "Relient K Pump Serious Rock, Sugary Pop In The Tank For Upcoming LP"

March 13:
· Gillie Da Kid - The Best of the GDK Mixtapes (Babygrande)
· Lloyd - Street Love (Motown) [Preorder]
· Musiq - Luvanmusiq (Atlantic) [Preorder]

March 20:
· C-Murder - Screamin' 4 Vengeance (Capitol) [Preorder]
· Decemberists - "A Practical Handbook" DVD (Kill Rock Stars)
· LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (Capitol) [Preorder]
· Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Epic) [Preorder]
· Young Buck - Buck the World (Interscope) [Preorder]